JP2002035180A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head which has characteristics to meet the requests from players and the desires from manufacturers and facilitates the production. SOLUTION: At least parts of golf club heads H1, H2, H3 and H4 are made of porous metal. It is desired that the porous metal has a voidage, bore and layout in a controllable manner.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf club head such as a metal head, an iron club head, a putter club head and the like, which replaces a conventional wood club head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, golf club heads are formed of various metals. In recent years, it has been required to widen a sweet spot to improve hitting easiness and enhance directional stability of a hit ball. I have. In response to such demands, techniques for reducing the thickness of the club head to increase its size and weight have been proposed and implemented. According to such a technique, it is possible to increase the size and weight of the club head to some extent, but since the strength of the metal material is limited, it is not possible to dramatically increase the size and weight from the current state. could not.

In recent years, there has been a demand for the development of a golf club head capable of providing a shot feeling according to a player's preference. Regarding this type of golf club head, a technique has been proposed in which a metal material having a special coefficient of restitution is used for a specific portion of the club head, particularly for the face. However, while the feel at impact obtained by a golf club head is determined solely by the coefficient of restitution of the metal material used, the types of metal materials suitable for use as a club head are limited. Therefore, it has not been easy to select a metal material having an appropriate coefficient of restitution in order to obtain a shot feeling according to the player's preference.

[0004] Further, there is a demand for the development of a golf club head that appropriately absorbs the impact of a hit ball. With respect to this type of golf club head, a technique of using a vibration damping material for a specific portion of the club head, particularly for the face, has been proposed. However, similar to the above-described problem of improving the feel at impact, the absorption of impact at the time of hitting is determined solely by the vibration damping characteristics of the metal material used, while the type of metal material suitable for use as a club head is different. Is limited. Therefore, it has not been easy to select a metal material having appropriate damping characteristics in order to obtain an appropriate damping effect.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-153330 discloses that a porous structure obtained by metal powder injection molding is applied to a face of a club head (hereinafter referred to as "prior art").

According to the prior art, it is possible to improve the feel at impact and the sound of hitting to some extent.

[0007]

However, in the prior art, the hole diameter cannot be strictly controlled because the porous structure applied to the face of the club head is obtained by metal powder injection molding means. as a result,
Significant variation occurs in the hole diameter of the obtained porous structure, and further, it is not possible to obtain an arbitrary arrangement form, in particular, a regular arrangement structure. Therefore, there has been a problem that unevenness in strength occurs in the face and the like. Therefore, as a material used as at least a part of the golf club head, a material having intended proper characteristics cannot be uniformly obtained, and it is necessary to meet a player's request or a manufacturer's intention. It has been difficult to produce golf club heads having properties.

The object of the present invention is to meet the demands of the player,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club head which has characteristics according to the intention of the manufacturer and is easy to manufacture.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a golf club head (H) according to the present invention of claim 1 is provided.
1, H2, H3, H4) are characterized in that at least a part thereof is formed of a porous metal. In the present invention, the porous metal is a metal obtained by unidirectional solidification of a molten metal in which a specific gas is dissolved,
It refers to a metal structure in which voids elongated in one direction are aligned and arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the golf club head of the first aspect, the porous metal has a controllable porosity, a hole diameter, and an arrangement form.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a golf club head according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The golf club head H1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured as a hollow metal head which is replaced with a conventional wood club head from a sole s1, a face f1, a crown c1, and a hosel h1.

Sole s1, face f1, crown c1
The connection method of the hosel h1 and the connection method of the hosel h1 are the same as the connection method adopted in the conventional manufacturing process of the hollow metal head, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

The sole s1 and hosel h1 are made of the same material as the conventional hollow metal head sole and hosel, for example, ordinary titanium, stainless steel, or the like.

On the other hand, the face f1 and the crown c1 are
Each is formed from a porous metal. The type and pressure of the gas used in the process of producing the porous metal and the solidification conditions are described, for example, in the method for producing a porous metal described in JP-A-10-88254, as well as in JP-A-10-227624 and JP-A-11-198109. As described in the above application, the material is selected and used depending on the diameter and distribution density of pores to be generated or the type of metal. This porous metal is made of stainless steel, iron, nickel, aluminum, copper, magnesium, cobalt, tungsten,
Metals such as manganese, chromium, beryllium and titanium, or their alloys are melted, and hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, helium and other gases are dissolved therein to prepare a molten raw material and unidirectionally solidify it. Obtained by: When the molten raw material is unidirectionally solidified, supersaturated gas atoms are precipitated and bubbles are generated, whereby voids extending in one direction are formed in a state aligned in a direction substantially orthogonal to the length direction. You.

In the above-described process for producing a porous metal, the melting temperature, solidification cooling rate, hydrogen gas pressure, mixing volume ratio and pressure of hydrogen gas and an inert gas such as nitrogen, argon, helium and the like are changed. Thereby, the porosity and hole diameter of the porous metal can be controlled.
In addition, for cooling the porous metal, a hearth having a water cooling portion,
In other words, the arrangement of the voids can be controlled by changing the position of the water-cooled portion in the hearth or the solidification direction of the molten metal, which is performed in the mold. For example,
When the molten metal poured into the hearth having the water-cooled part is solidified from below or from the side in one direction, the bubbles form a unidirectional multifilamentary structure from bottom to top, or the circumference. From the center to the center to form a radial structure. The porosity of the porous metal can be freely set as long as it is 80% or less, and the hole diameter is 5 μm.
From about 10 mm. However, considering the rigidity, weight balance, and design freedom of the head as a golf club, the porosity is appropriately in the range of 30% to 50%. If it is less than 30%, the effect of weight reduction is poor, and especially in a putter, the softness of the shot feeling cannot be obtained. If it exceeds 50%, the strength may be insufficient. With respect to the range of the hole diameter, 20 μm to 1 mm is appropriate for a club that requires a shot feeling like a putter, and 50 μm to 3 mm is appropriate for a club that requires a light weight such as a wood or an iron.

According to the porous metal thus obtained, the voids are formed substantially parallel to each other, so that a structure similar to the honeycomb structure can be obtained. As a result, the strength of the metal itself does not substantially decrease despite high compression stress resistance and weight reduction. Moreover, if nitrogen gas is used in the step of forming the voids, the nitriding treatment is easily performed, and a lightweight and large-strength porous metal can be obtained. Therefore, further weight reduction and enlargement of the club head can be realized. Further, the nitriding treatment increases the surface hardness and improves the wear resistance.

The porous metal for the face f1 and the porous metal for the crown c1 are different from each other in porosity. For example, if a 30% porous metal is used for the face f1 and a porous metal having a porosity of 50% is used for the crown c1, the center of gravity G of the club head is lowered downward as shown in FIG. Can be located.

Of course, the porosity of each porous metal for the face f1 and the crown c1 is not limited to the above-mentioned numerical value, but is changed according to the characteristics required for the club head H1.

In the first embodiment described above,
Although the whole of the face f1 and the crown c1 has been described as being formed of a porous metal, a part of the face f1 and / or only a part of the crown c1 may be formed of a porous metal.

As described above, by forming at least a part of the face f1 and / or at least a part of the crown c1 from a porous metal and appropriately setting the porosity thereof, the position of the center of gravity G can be arbitrarily set.

Next, a golf club head according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The golf club head H2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is also configured as a hollow metal head replacing the sole s2, the face f2, the crown c2, and the hosel h2 with a conventional wood club head. .

In the above-described first embodiment, the porous metal for the face f1 and the porous metal for the crown c1 are different from each other in the porosity, but in the second embodiment, the porous metal and the crown for the face f2 are different. The porous metals for c2 have the same porosity. For example, 5 is applied to both the face f2 and the crown c2.
If a porous metal having a porosity of 0% is used, the weight of the entire golf club head H2 can be reduced.
Of course, the porosity of the porous metal is not limited to the above-described numerical value, but is changed according to the characteristics required for the club head H2.

The other basic structure of the golf club head is the same as that of the golf club head according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, not only the face f2 and the crown c2 but also the sole s2 may be formed of the same porous metal.

Next, a golf club head according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The golf club head H3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is constituted as a putter head by the head body m3 and the face f3.

The head body m3 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, iron, nickel, aluminum, copper, magnesium, cobalt, tungsten, manganese, chromium, beryllium, titanium, or an alloy thereof. In the upper part of the head main body m3, a hole h3 for attaching a shaft is formed at a position biased toward the heel side.

The face f3 is attached to the front surface of the head body m3 by fixing means such as welding, bonding, press-fitting and screwing. The face f3 is formed from the same porous metal as in the first and second embodiments. As is clear from FIG. 5, the void of the porous metal forming the face f3 is open toward the front of the face f3.

With the face f3 formed of the porous metal in this way, an arbitrary feeling of hitting can be obtained. For example, if the porosity of the porous metal forming the face f3 is set to about 50%, a softer shot feeling can be obtained. On the other hand, if the porosity of the porous metal is set to about 30%, a hitting sensation that is intermediate between the hitting sensation described above and the hitting sensation by the conventional putter head can be obtained. Of course, the porosity of the porous metal is not limited to the above-described numerical value, but is changed according to the characteristics required for the putter head H3.

Next, a golf club head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The golf club head H4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is constituted as an iron club head by a head body m4 and a face f4.

The head body m4 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, iron, nickel, aluminum, copper, magnesium, cobalt, tungsten, manganese, chromium, beryllium, titanium, or an alloy thereof. The head body m4 has a hosel h4 at the heel side end and a sole s4 at the lower end.

The face f4 is attached to the front surface of the head body m4 by fixing means such as caulking or press fitting. The face f4 is formed from the same porous metal as in the first to third embodiments. 6 and 7
As is clear from FIG. 4, the void of the porous metal forming the face f4 is opened toward the front of the face f4. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a void of the porous metal may be opened rearward on the back side of the face f4.

The face f4 formed of the porous metal as described above can provide an arbitrary feel at impact and a vibration damping structure having very large internal friction. Therefore, the impact at the time of hitting can be effectively absorbed, and the flight distance of the hitting ball can be easily adjusted. The porosity of the porous metal is set according to the required feel at impact and the required damping characteristics.

[0037]

According to the golf club head of the present invention, since at least a portion is formed of a porous metal, the same metal as the metal in the conventional golf club head is used as a raw material of the porous metal. However, by controlling the porosity, the weight can be reduced and the club head can be made larger, which has been impossible in the past. In addition, the club head can meet the demands of the player and the intentions of the manufacturer. Appropriate characteristics can be provided.

[0038] In the golf club head of the present invention, if the porous metal has a controllable porosity, hole diameter and arrangement, as described in claim 2, the golf club head meets the needs of the player. Can be easily manufactured, and strict property management becomes possible in mass production of golf club heads.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf club head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a golf club head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a golf club head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a golf club head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a modification of the golf club head of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 H1, H2, H3, H4 Golf club head s1, s2, s4 sole f1, f2, f3, f4 face c1, c2 crown h1, h2, h4 hosel m3, m4 head body

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Mochida 762, Misaki-cho, Fuchu-shi, Hiroshima Inside Ryobi Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Ishikawa 3-1-1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Ryobi Co., Ltd. Tokyo Head Office (72) Inventor Hitoshi Tsuboi 3-1-1, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Ryobi Co., Ltd. Tokyo Head Office (72) Inventor Hideo Nakajima 6-40 Hiyoshidai Gobancho, Takatsuki City, Osaka F Terms (reference) 2C002 AA02 AA03 AA04 CH01 CH06 MM04

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A golf club head at least partially formed of a porous metal. 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the porous metal has a controllable porosity, a hole diameter, and an arrangement form.